Fire on LPG-laden ship at Kutubdia under control
31 crew members rescued alive; no casualties reported yet
A fire that broke out on the LPG-laden lighterage ship "Sofia" in the outer anchorage in Kutubdia, Cox's Bazar early today (13 October) has been brought under control after 12 hours.
A total of 31 crew members of the ship, which was on its way to Chattogram Port, have been rescued alive by the Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Coast Guard and no casualties have been reported.
The flames engulfed the whole ship very quickly after the fire started at around 12:45am today. The fire was brought under control at around 12:30pm, according to coast guard east zone spokesperson Lt Commander Khondoker Munif Taki.
Five navy ships, two coast guard ships and several fire and rescue teams worked together to douse the fire on the LPG-laden ship, anchored in the outer anchorage west of Kutubdia coast in the Bay of Bengal, he said.
However, coast guard and navy personnel are still working to contain the risk of re-ignition inside the vessel, he added.
Lt Commander Taki said the navy and coast guard ships came to the scene upon receiving calls from the local administration soon after the fire started in the early hours and rescued the members of Sofia's crew first. Since then, they have been working to bring the situation under control.
They were yet to know the origin of the vessel, how much LPG it was carrying, where it came from and how the fire started, he added.
"The coast guard and other agencies concerned are investigating whether it was an accident or an act of sabotage," said Taki.
The rescued crew members were taken to Hotel Agrabad in Chattogram after they were provided first aid, he said.